Mint Condition

Did You Know?

• The band was inducted into the Soul Music Hall of Fame in December 2012.
• Mint Condition joined Prince for his Welcome 2 America tour in December 2010.

History

Mint Condition formed in St. Paul in the early 1980s. The original lineup consisted of lead singer and in-studio drummer Stokley Williams, lead guitarist Homer O'Dell, keyboardist Larry Waddell, keyboardist/saxophonist Jeff Allen, keyboardist/percussionist/rhythm guitarist Keri Lewis, and bass guitarist Rick Kinchen. Music producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis discovered the band in 1989 during a performance at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, and soon after signed them to Perspective Records. Their debut album, Meant to Be Mint, came out on June 11, 1991. The dance track "Are You Free" reached number 55 on the R&B charts. The ballad "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" spent 34 weeks on the charts, peaked at number 3 on the R&B chart and number 6 on the Pop chart, and earned a gold certification from the RIAA. The third single, "Forever in Your Eyes", became a Top 10 R&B hit at number 7. The band's second album, From the Mint Factory, was released in 1993. Its single "U Send Me Swingin'" held the number 2 spot on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart for four consecutive weeks in spring 1994 and reached number 14 on the Rhythmic Top 40. The follow-up singles "Someone to Love" and "So Fine" reached numbers 28 and 29 on the Billboard R&B chart, respectively. In September 1996, the band issued Definition of a Band, which peaked in the R&B Top 15. The first single, "What Kind of Man Would I Be?", rose to number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart, stayed on that chart for 41 weeks, and was certified gold by the RIAA that December. The second single, "You Don't Have to Hurt No More", reached number 10 on the R&B chart and number 32 on the Pop chart. The album received positive reviews and, along with the singles' success, achieved gold status.